“Highest-ever” addition of power-generation capacity (22,566 MW) in a single year; power generation touching the trillion-unit mark; lowest-ever (3.6%) power deficit; and a 32-million-tonne increase in coal production.

These are some of the claims made by the Ministry of Coal and Power in its performance report card. However, Fact Checker trawled the data, and found selective and exaggerated reporting.

1. “Highest-ever” growth in power-generation capacity: If you juggle the data

Claim: 22,566 megawatts (MW) in power-generation capacity, the “highest-ever growth in a single year”, according to the power ministry.

Reality: Comparable capacities were added during 2011-12 (20,502 MW) and 2012-13 (20,623 MW). If you consider the highest-ever growth in “power capacities added” between consecutive years, it actually happened between 2010-11 and 2011-12, when 8,341 MW capacity was added.

Reality: The deficit declined from around 10% during 2006-10 to 4.2% in 2013-14. The power deficit of 4.2% in 2013-14 was the lowest ever until then. So, the power deficit declining to 3.6% during 2014-15 was a reduction of 0.6% compared to the preceding year.

6. Four-year record in coal production: Not according to data given to Parliament by minister

Claim: Increase of 32 million tonnes in 2014-15; output at 494 MT in 2014-15, compared to 462 MT in 2013-14; “increase higher than increase in previous 4 years”.

Reality: The production figure of 462 MT during 2013-14 does not match data tabled by the current Coal Minister in Parliament on July 17, 2014. That data puts coal production during 2013-14 at 566 MT and not 462 MT.

More significantly, coal production of 494 MT in 2014-15 is less than the coal production during each of the previous five years (2009-10 to 2013-14).